As the snow has finally all melted for the season and the grass is just starting to turn green, we look back at a few of the pictures we captured from the winter.
Overall, it was a mild winter compared to average. Less snow overall and only a handful of really heavy snowfalls. Even with that, there was some amount of snow on the ground from late November through early April – though during some of that time the only snow around was the piles of snow next to the driveway.
With a large snow storm late in the winter, there was a lot of snow that melted at once when the weather turned warmer. A large snow melt means that our waterfall would have a lot more water flowing over it than normal.
Here is the shot of the final approach to the waterfall.
Waterfall in the spring.
Here is a shot of the waterfall from the base of the falls.
Waterfall close-up.
Here is a video of the falls showing the increased water volume.
A few weeks ago, there was another large snow storm – we got over 30 inches in a couple days.
A picture of the house and main barn a few days after the storm.
We already had over 30 inches in a single storm early in the winter. With this latest storm, it pushed us over our annual average snowfall for the winter.
A panoramic view of the snow from the woods behind the pastures.
Another picture of the pastures from the woods.
Starting a few days after the storm, the temperature warmed up and the snow has been steadily melting since then. We are now down to just a few piles of snow near the driveway. This storm may have been the last significant measurable snow of the winter.
A panoramic shot of the pasture covered in snow.
The animals usually stay inside while it is snowing. The chickens also don’t like to walk on soft snow but they will walk on harder packed snow.
The goats don’t really seem to mind the snow on the ground once the storm stops and the sun comes out – here is a shot of the goats hanging out in the snow next to the barn.
Goats hanging out near the barn.
Last winter was very mild overall – we only received around half of the typical snowfall totals (just over 60 inches where normal is over 120 inches). This winter started off on a different note.
First big snowstorm of winter 2016-2017.
The first big storm came right before Thanksgiving – we received almost 30 inches in the first big snowstorm alone.
Here is a picture measuring the snowfall total during the first night of the storm – it was close to 20 inches the first night and near 30 inches when it stopped snowing.
Measuring the snowfall.
April showers bring May flowers is the phrase. I think that phrase usually refers to spring rain showers.
Temperatures reached into the 60’s and even the 70’s in February and March. However, winter wasn’t over quite yet.
This past weekend we received around 6 to 8 inches of snow over 2 days – the largest single snow storm of the whole season!
And now temperatures are back into the low teens overnight. The high temperatures are expected to be back above freezing later this week and a lot of the snow will likely melt pretty soon, but a little more snow is forecast for this coming weekend.
Snow covered yard and pastures in April.
Snow in the front yard in April.
Snow accumulation on a tree in April.
With the previous warm weather, we were considering putting away the snow equipment for the summer. Luckily we hadn’t gotten around to putting it away just yet.
Winter has finally arrived. We have been receiving regular lake effect snow fall of an inch or two (or more) just about every day for the last week.
The snow has made it relatively easy to track movements of some of the local wildlife through the snow.
Can you identify the animals based on their tracks in the snow?
Click through for the answers and some additional information.
A recurring early winter farm chore is chipping ice out of the outdoor water buckets.
While the winter has been very mild so far (it was in the mid-60s on Thanksgiving and the forecast is for around 60 on Christmas) and we have so far avoided any significant snow fall, the temperatures have still occasionally dipped below freezing overnight. While the goats and chickens can handle temperatures below freezing without much of a problem, they still need access to water.
This means having to chip the ice out of their water buckets to give them access to liquid water.
Here is a solid piece of inch-thick ice removed from one of the water buckets – I managed to remove almost the entire ice block from the top of the bucket in one piece.
Inch thick ice from the water buckets.
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The first snow of the season arrived in mid-October. Since then, the temperatures have mostly been unseasonably warm – with some 60 and even 70 degree days in late October and early November.
It is finally begun to turn into winter and regular snow flurries will become a common occurrence. I took a couple of short videos of the falling snow as it is quite relaxing to just look out at the snow (especially when there is limited accumulation and no need to shovel or venture out on the roads!).
Hope you enjoy!
Click through to see more relaxing videos of the falling snow.
We recently experienced our first snow fall of the season. We received around 2 inches of snow in mid-October. The average first snow fall does not normally occur until early November and the first measurable snow does not normally occur until mid- to late- November so it was a bit earlier than normal. The almanacs are predicting a heavier than average snowfall for the season – we are off to a good start. For reference, average snowfall is over 100 inches per year.
First Snow Fall with Fall Foliage in the background
Click through for more pictures of the first snowfall.